.beta.-Hydroxy-.beta.-methylglutaric acid (HMG) is well established as a hypolipidemic and hypocholesterolemic agent (Yusufi et al, Atherosclerosis,20, 517(1974) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,449).
The synthesis of this biologically important compound has been primarily accomplished by (1) oxidation of diallylmethyl carbinol or 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-hex-5-enoic acid with ozone and hydrogen peroxide (Klosterman et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 76, 1229(1954); Biochemical Preparations, 6, 25(1958); Tschesche et al, Ann. der Chemis, 631, 61(1960) and (2) a Reformatsky reaction between ethyl acetoacetate and ethyl bromoacetate (Adams et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 75, 2377(1953).
Both of the above described synthetic methods for the preparation of HMG embrace difficult multi-step procedures, require complicated purification schemes and produce low yields.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a simple one step synthesis of HMG from a readily available starting material. Use of the procedure described herein permits large scale synthesis of the HMG at very low cost.